CREATING CHANGE 2018 SCREEN READER ACCESSIBLE PROGRAM THIS DOCUMENT IS 190 PAGES TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME: PAGE 1 GENERAL INFORMATION: PAGE 2 SCHEDULE: PAGE 6 PROGRAM: PAGE 15 EITQUETTE GUIDES: PAGE 176 AWARDEES AND HONOREES: 183 EXHIBITORS: PAGE 185 SPECIAL THANK YOU: PAGE 187 1. WELCOME Welcome to the 30th Creating Change Conference! The District of Columbia is proud to welcome you to an historic milestone for Creating Change in an historic moment for all our communities. For those of us in the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area, we welcome you to “The DMV,” which encompasses the three major geographic entities in the region--the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. We are proud to welcome you to the District of Columbia; the entire region opens its arms to you. Many in our movements have come to Washington, DC throughout the years as the seat of federal political power, and the work here is a constant process of “Creating Change.” But we also invite and challenge you to take part in the local political and community culture. The District of Columbia has the strongest civil and human rights protections in our nation but remains a challenging place to call home for many LGBTQ+ people. Since 2006, the District of Columbia has protected residents and visitors from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in housing, employment, government services, and education. However, despite legal advances and change on the policy level the District of Columbia is home to an LGBTQ community that is vulnerable to poverty, gentrification, health disparities, racism and violence. The contrast of great success on the policy level alongside difficult lived experiences for many,
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